""Our hearts go out to the family of the fallen deputy — they now belong to a club that now one ever asks to join"

AUBURN, CA (MPG) - Crime Victims United of California (CVUC) today issued the following statement in response to the tragic death and wounding of Sacramento County Sheriffs' Deputies during a shootout with a suspect at CalExpo last night:

"Our hearts go out to the family of the fallen deputy — they now belong to a club that now one ever asks to join," said Nina Salarno Besselman, president of Crime Victims United of California. "Having been a part of this 'club' for many decades, we understand their pain and want to extend our deepest condolences, prayers and support in any way possible during the days, weeks and months ahead.

"We have the highest respect for peace officers and the difficult job they do," said Salarno Besselman. "It takes a very special kind of person to choose to put themselves in harm's way to keep others safe. We are grateful to these deputies and their K9s for their service and sacrifices and pray that the second deputy recovers quickly from his wounds."

Founded in 1990, Crime Victims United has been dedicated to supporting and strengthening public safety, promoting balance in the criminal justice system and protecting the rights of victims. To learn more, visit crimevictimsunited.com/.

At 5:30 p.m. local time, cities and towns across the country will illuminate buildings and ring church bells as part of a national moment of unity and remembrance

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - SMUD joins the nation to honor lives lost to COVID-19. Beginning today, through Friday, January, 22, the iconic SMUD Headquarters building, the Customer Service Center on S Street and the East Campus Operations Center on Bradshaw Avenue will be lit in amber lighting in honor of COVID-19 victims.

“As an essential service provider, keeping our employees safe and the lights on are our top priorities,” said SMUD Board President Nancy Bui-Thompson. “While COVID-19 hasn’t negatively impacted SMUD’s operations, its workforce isn’t immune from the pandemic that has touched all segments of our community.”

Despite following all health and safety mandates, protocols, and best practices, many SMUD employees have been impacted either directly or by family members falling ill. Tragically, a SMUD employee died from COVID-19 complications last week. Flags were flown at half-staff at all SMUD buildings and truck booms in the Operations Yard were raised in remembrance.

“Our hearts break for all of the COVID-19 victims and their loved ones,” said SMUD CEO & General Manager Paul Lau. “We honor their memory and commit to continuing to protect the health and safety of our employees.”

As the sun sets at approximately 5:30 p.m. this evening, amber-tinted floodlights, pathway lights, eave lights and walkway lights will be turned on. The amber lights will shine bright every night through Friday.

Today, January 19th, at 5:30 p.m. local time, cities and towns across the country will illuminate buildings and ring church bells as part of a national moment of unity and remembrance. To participate, you can light a candle in your window or ring a bell. Please join our fellow Americans in this national ceremony as a collective moment of remembrance.

About SMUD

As the nation’s sixth-largest, community-owned, not-for-profit electric service provider, SMUD has been providing low-cost, reliable electricity for almost 75 years to Sacramento County (and small adjoining portions of Placer and Yolo Counties). SMUD is a recognized industry leader and award winner for its innovative energy efficiency programs, renewable power technologies, and for its sustainable solutions for a healthier environment. SMUD’s energy is about 50 percent non-carbon emitting. For more information, visit smud.org.

QALY-based value assessments are discriminatory, especially to elderly and those living with disabilities​

An end to the pandemic is finally in sight. Both Pfizer and Moderna reported that their vaccine candidates are 95 percent effective, and subsequently received emergency use authorization from the FDA.

Prioritizing the delivery of vaccines to people most at risk -- including those with underlying illnesses and those who live in communities disproportionately impacted by the virus -- is the right thing to do. Chronically ill patients are six times more likely to be hospitalized and 12 times more likely to die following infection, compared to their otherwise healthy peers. Meanwhile, hospitalization rates among African Americans and Hispanic/Latino individuals were 4.7 times the rate of Caucasian individuals; and the death rate of those with intellectual disabilities is roughly twice that of the general population.

Policymakers’ recognition that patients facing the most risk deserve early access to the vaccine is worth applauding. But inexplicably, an increasing number of policymakers also seem comfortable with the exact opposite approach for other critical medicines.

Among both Republicans and Democrats, there’s growing interest in the use of “quality-adjusted life years,” or QALYs, to “value” medicines. QALY-based value assessments are discriminatory, especially to elderly and those living with disabilities.

Here’s how the QALY approach works: If a treatment provides a patient with an additional life-year of “perfect health,” it is awarded one QALY. If a treatment extends a patient’s lifespan, but fails to return them to perfect health, it only receives a fraction of a QALY. The more QALYs a drug provides, the more “valuable” it is.

The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, or ICER, has long urged policymakers and insurers to rely on QALY analyses when deciding how much to pay for new drugs.

The result is as heartless as one might expect.

Suppose a patient suffers from a neurological disorder that produces a range of symptoms from blindness to partial paralysis. Now, let’s suppose the FDA approves a new treatment that restores the patient’s vision, but does little to address their mobility issues.

For ICER, this hypothetical breakthrough drug would never yield a “full” QALY, as it wouldn’t restore the patient to “perfect health.” Despite greatly improving the patient’s condition, the drug may only be deemed worthy of half a QALY, thus insurers would be urged not to cover it because it’s not considered cost-effective by ICER’s standards.

Cost-effectiveness evaluations inevitably and systematically discriminate against those living with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental illness -- those Americans for whom a return to “perfect” health is impossible.

If ICER’s valuation methods continue to gain clout, vulnerable groups may find that the medication upon which they once relied is no longer covered by insurance. Meanwhile, the prospect of advancing innovative new treatments that benefit Americans with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental illness will become bleaker.

Three decades ago, Oregon tried to employ such discriminatory metrics in a public insurance program, but a legal challenge ultimately found them in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, QALYs are once again being considered by insurers, state-run Medicaid programs, and policymakers with the aim of reducing healthcare spending.

While this goal is understandable, the target is off base.

The incoming administration has a chance to put an end to QALYs. Vulnerable Americans desperately need our help. We cannot let them down.

Patrick J. Kennedy, a former Democratic U.S. representative, was lead author of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. He served on the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. This piece originally ran in the Boston Herald.

The support of the public is essential for us to fulfill our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the U.S. Constitution

ROSEVILLE, CA (MPG) - The FBI Sacramento Field Office (FBI Sacramento) is working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to prepare for any potential violence related to the recent unrest in Washington, D.C. To support intelligence sharing and coordination with our law enforcement partners, we are operating a command post. Our personnel, including special agents, bomb technicians, evidence response teams, tactical teams, intelligence teams, and others are ready to support investigations and respond to potential threats within the 34 counties FBI Sacramento serves, including the state capitol.

We thank the communities we serve for continuing to submit tips regarding potential violence at upcoming events. The support of the public is essential for us to fulfill our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the U.S. Constitution. As we stated during the protests in 2020, we respect and preserve the rights of all Americans to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. To ensure the safety of all, we remain in contact with our law enforcement partners and continue to share information about potential threats.

Anyone with information about violence and criminal activity may call our office at (916) 746-7000. You may also dial ‪1-800-CALL-FBI (1-‪800-225-5324) to verbally report tips and information. You may also submit information online at tips.fbi.gov. If an emergency exists, the public is urged to call 911 immediately.

The FBI Sacramento Field Office serves the following 34 California counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Trinity, Yolo, and Yuba.

WOODLAND, CA (MPG) – As a result of Yolo County Superior Court’s continued use of $0 bail, over 526 new crimes have been committed. In April, the California Judicial Council imposed the “$0” Emergency Bail Schedule in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although rescinded in June, the Yolo County Superior Court continues to use the Emergency Bail Schedule.  Court officials indicated the Emergency Bail Schedule will remain in effect until the pandemic ends.

Since April 13, 2020, 427 individuals have been arrested and released on $0 bail a total of 524 times, with some benefitting on multiple occasions. The individuals who have reoffended since their release on $0 bail in Yolo County have committed over 526 new crimes in Yolo County alone. Those new crimes include 217 felonies and 309 misdemeanors, including crimes such as Attempted Murder, Assault with a Deadly Weapon or Assault by Means of Force Likely to Product Great Bodily Injury (16 new victims), Robbery (8 new victims), Burglary (32 new victims), felony domestic violence (7 new victims), possession of an assault weapon, gang crimes, and dozens of other new felony and misdemeanor crimes. Nearly 40 percent of those released on $0 have reoffended at least one time.  

The Emergency Bail Schedule simply looks at the arresting offense and releases individuals on $0 bail, even those on probation or parole, without conducting a risk assessment for dangerousness. Additionally, upon release on $0 bail, offenders are given a court date 4-5 months in the future. This makes it nearly impossible to assess those individuals who are homeless, suffer from a substance use disorder, or from a serious mental illness in order to enroll them into one of the county’s diversion programs such as mental health court or addiction intervention court.